


Beyond the Fog Gate

by CalSantiago



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Modern AU, Origin Story, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 22:37:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7456567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalSantiago/pseuds/CalSantiago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulsborne Modern AU Origin Story: How the Chosen Undead and Rhea of Thorolund became friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beyond the Fog Gate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FanficsbyVe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficsbyVe/gifts).



> Some Chosen Undead/Rhea of Thorolund modern AU fluff. They're my pet couple, OK? Also, it should be fairly obvious what anime inspired me to write this. :P

"OK, and... Uploaded."

Marcus, the Chosen Undead, breathed a sigh of relief once the video had been successfully posted on his and Rhea's channel. He leaned back against the chair and yawned, then glanced on the clock on the wall. Friday, 7:30pm... He and Rhea had spent the whole afternoon at her place, editing the video of their latest _Undertale_ vocal and guitar cover. The two were pleasantly surprised that they didn't run into any technical issues this time around, since usually the video editing program would crash or the audio would get corrupted. Rhea patted her boyfriend on the back and smiled, congratulating him.

"Did you also put in the link to the .mp3 download, sweetie?" Rhea asked.

"Yep, the link's already in there," the Chosen Undead nodded. "I hope people like this cover."

"Me too," Rhea said. She blushed a little, and twiddled her fingers. "And... I hope it gets enough views to surpass that _Rocky Horror_ cover we did with Solaire..."

"Honey, that video has like 2 million views," the Chosen Undead said, "NOTHING will ever surpass it."

Indeed, the most popular video on their channel was a cover of "Sweet Transvestite" from the _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ , guest-starring Solaire of Astora as Dr. Frank N Furter. THANKFULLY, he didn't actually wear the makeup and costume, but his Tim Curry impersonation was just so over-the-top and spot-on that both Rhea and the Chosen Undead were desperately trying not to burst out laughing during recording. That was actually the video that got their channel the most attention, and now the two would post covers every week. It was a fun hobby that suited them both, seeing how Rhea had a nice singing voice and Marcus was very good at playing the guitar. And even though the couple were already very close, this activity just brought them even closer.

Now that they were finally done with their main task for the day, the couple decided to have a quick dinner. Not wanting to go through the hassle of cooking their own meal from scratch, Marcus ordered a pepperoni pizza while Rhea heated up the tomato soup she had made earlier. The two ate their pizza and tomato soup in Rhea's room while they checked the videos and comments on their channel. Rhea could only bury her face in her hands once the two found out that the "Sweet Transvestite" video with Solaire now had _3 million_ views... The Chosen Undead briefly wondered if Lady Maria had spent the whole day loading and reloading the video or something for it to have gained another million views so quickly. Still, their latest video had already gained a decent number of views and likes, so they were happy with that.

After that, the two sat down on Rhea's bed and just talked for a while. Rhea was especially happy since her flatmates and guardians Vince and Nico had given the Chosen Undead permission to spend the weekend there while the two were out of town... under the condition that he only stay in her room until 9pm and sleep on the couch in the living room. They were apparently given strict orders by Rhea's parents (who were still against the relationship) to prevent "accidents" from happening. Still, the couple were happy enough with this arrangement. 

The two enjoyed being around each other and simply engaging in conversation, their topics ranging from something as mundane as the weather, to stories about friends and family, to plans for future dates and outings. Rhea then suggested they go see a stage musical together, since it had been a while since they last did that. The young knight agreed, and told Rhea that the Undertale Musical was going to be shown in their city soon. As they were thinking of a suitable date to go see the show, the Chosen Undead realized exactly what day it was...

"It's been exactly seven years now... since the Tomb of the Giants," the Chosen Undead said.

"T-that was the day we first became friends..." Rhea said, blushing. "I can't believe it's been so long already... Funny, I remember it like it was yesterday."

"Cue the flashback music and special effects," the Chosen Undead joked.

"Very funny, Marcus-kun," Rhea said flatly.

"I was just joking, Rhea-chan," the knight chuckled. "Yeah, I remember it pretty well, too."

...

_**Seven years ago...** _

"OK, class! Make sure you stick together and keep your Cast Light sorceries activated!"

Wednesday morning. The teacher in charge of class 2-3 of Firelink High School was making sure all the students had followed her instructions before they descended down the Catacombs, and further down into the Tomb of the Giants. They were here on a school field trip, and those who didn't attend would have to stay behind and write a 600-page book report about the importance of Titanite Shards... Naturally, the entire class went.

"Ugh, do we REALLY have to go to the Tomb of the Giants?" Rickert of Vinheim complained. "Honestly, there's nothing but dark, dirt, and bones in there! And it smells like my aunt's closet when she hasn't cleaned it out and put moth balls in!"

"If you hate it that much, why didn't you just stay behind and do the book report?" Griggs of Vinheim asked. "I mean, you claim to be an expert on Titanite, after all."

" _Claim_ to be an expert on Titanite?" Rickert scoffed. "I AM an expert on Titanite! I could do that book report with my eyes closed if I wanted!"

"So... Why didn't you stay behind?" Griggs asked again, annoyed at his classmate's arrogance.

"Because there'd be no one else in the classroom with me, duh!" Rickert answered. "What use is it being a genius when there's nobody around to praise you? Although... I suppose that weird cleric chick who always sits in the back would be there..."

"Uh, no. She's actually here with us," Griggs said, turning around to check. "Hey, wait. Where's Marcus?"

"Pfft, the idiot from Astora probably left his Catalyst in the bus," Rickert snorted. "Well, I'm going on ahead. You losers stay here for all I care. I just wanna get this over and done with. Later."

"Later," Griggs said back, but was inwardly relieved to be rid of Rickert. He decided to stop for a while and wait for his friend. It was just like the Chosen Undead to forget his Catalyst at the last minute. Then again, the boy did prefer swords, after all. 

While he waited, the young sorcerer noticed the cleric girl at the back of the group. Rhea of Thorolund. She was a quiet one, rarely speaking in class. She always wore an oversized white hoodie and large, thick glasses, as if to cover her face. As far as Griggs knew, she didn't have any friends either, unless one counted the two bodyguards and the ugly fat driver who escorted her to and from school everyday. The girl was walking slowly, almost as if she were terrified of going into the Catacombs alone.

"Hey Griggs, sorry to keep you waiting!"

The Chosen Undead rushed towards his friend, his backpack and Catalyst in tow. Worried that he'd be left behind by the class, the boy carelessly ran down the stone steps. He had completely forgotten about the uneven terrain, tripped over a rock, knocked down one of the stone statues and fell face-first into the ground. Even worse, the stone statue had a harpoon booby trap in it, and the Chosen Undead only barely managed to avoid being speared through the ass. The other students around him laughed. He wiped out so badly even Griggs had to facepalm in shame.

"O-ow..." the Chosen Undead said as he struggled to get back up.

_"How unpleasant."_

"H-huh?" the Chosen Undead turned to see where the unfamiliar voice was coming from. He saw the cleric girl leaning over him. It was the first time he had seen her up close, and he even caught a glimpse of her face. To his surprise, she extended her hand and offered to help him back up. The Chosen Undead accepted, but was very embarrassed over what happened.

"You should be more careful," the girl said.

"Um, right. Sorry," the Chosen Undead nodded. "Thanks for helping me back up."

The girl nodded back, then kept walking. The Chosen Undead merely shrugged as he went ahead with Griggs.

"Well, that was very odd," Griggs said.

"Are you trying to make fun of me?" the Chosen Undead said. "My face still hurts, you know!"

"No, I didn't mean that," the sorcerer shook his head. "I meant how the Thorolund girl helped you back up. I didn't expect her to do that, to be honest. I mean, you know how them blue bloods are."

"Just because she's quiet and always by herself doesn't mean she's a bad person," the Chosen Undead said. "Anyway, we should catch up with the others. One wrong move and it's a 600-page report for us..."

"Still, what a place for a field trip, huh?" Griggs said. "Honestly, I'd rather go to the Duke's Archives or Archdragon Peaks... Yeah, Archdragon Peaks... I'd love to go see myself a real life legit dragon!"

"T-that would be a very expensive field trip," the Chosen Undead said. "Not to mention dangerous... I heard there was a zombie king who rides a Stormdrake there..."

"Zombie king?" Griggs laughed, "C'mon, Marcus, that's just a legend."

The two teenage boys caught up with the rest of their class not long after, and found themselves in a large chamber with a waterfall in it. There was a narrow path leading downward, and once again the teacher told the students to be extra careful. She also told them to ignore the reanimating skeletons, since they were more of a clingy nuisance than anything and would leave people alone once they'd been snubbed enough. Rickert had shoved his way to the front of the group and was trying to smooth-talk the teacher into giving him an A+++ simply for attending the trip, but she wasn't having any of his crap. She loudly announced to everyone that Rickert would be in charge of keeping the class together for the rest of the day, much to the young man's annoyance. At the back of the group, Marcus and Griggs could only laugh.

As the day went on, the class descended further and further down the Catacombs, until they reached the area that opened out into the Tomb of the Giants. This area was a lot more difficult to traverse than the previous ones, what with all the slippery coffins and loose ground around. The students also had to be extra careful not to attract the attention of the infamous Bonewheel Skeletons... After about another hour or so of walking, the teacher told the group to stop. They were in one of the deeper chambers now, and she tasked the students with finding the different locations of the different types of Titanite. The class responded with much groaning, but hey, better than having to write a 600-page report...

"But before we do that... Rickert!" the teacher called out.

"Yes, ma'am..." Rickert responded dryly.

"Do a roll call of the class," the teacher said, handing him a list of the students' names. "I'll go over to that vantage point over there to see if there aren't any Skeleton Beasts around."

"Sure, whatever..." Rickert sighed, then cleared his throat. "OK, let's get this over with... Laurentius of the Great Swamp!"

"Here!" the student replied.

"Cuculus of the Great Swamp!" Rickert called out again.

"Here!" another student replied.

"Ugh, this is gonna take foreveeeeeer..." Rickert groaned as he looked through the list.

Actually, the roll call didn't take forever. It was probably five minutes tops before Rickert reached the last three names of the list. Relieved that this boring, troublesome task was over, he called out to the remaining students,

"Griggs of Vinheim!"

"Here!" Griggs replied.

"Marcus of Astora, a.k.a. the Chosen Undead!"

"Here!" the Chosen Undead replied.

"Rhea of Thorolund!"

Rickert didn't hear any response. Figuring it was probably because of the noise and the girl having such a softspoken voice, he told the class to shut up and called the name out again...

"RHEA OF THOROLUND!!!"

Still no response. Now Rickert was just getting even more annoyed.

"Ugh, where did that cleric girl run off to?!" he complained. "I bet she ditched the group and went back to the bus... Clever... That does it, I'm just gonna cross her name off this list—"

"W-wait, you can't do that!" the Chosen Undead spoke up. "She was just with us a while ago! S-she probably made a wrong turn and got lost somewhere!"

"Oh, and I suppose you're volunteering to find her?" Rickert snorted.

"Yeah! I am!" the Chosen Undead said.

"Well, be my guest, then!" Rickert scoffed.

"Marcus, are you sure?" Griggs asked his friend, worried. "This place is pretty big. And pretty dark... You could get lost, too!"

"She helped me out a while ago," the Chosen Undead insisted. "It's the least I can do."

"Arite, man. Good luck," the sorcerer nodded. "You give me a call as soon as you find her so I can let the class know."

"Right!" the knight nodded back.

...

"HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE...!"

Rhea of Thorolund tried her best to stay calm and not panic. Somehow, she had lost her footing and slipped on a coffin. Now here she was, covered in cuts and bruises and stuck at the bottom of a pit in one of the deeper chambers of the Tomb of the Giants. And no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find a way out. It didn't help that the impact cracked her glasses. To make matters worse, the fall had badly broken her ankle and she could barely move, let alone walk. She was still inexperienced and far too shaken to try and cast a healing miracle on herself, too. Rhea clutched her arms as she fought back tears. She really couldn't handle things on her own after all...

Suddenly, Rhea heard a shuffling in the rocks. It sounded heavy, and it was drawing closer...

"H-huh? W-who's there?!" Rhea said as she raised her talisman, ready to cast a defensive miracle at the first sight of a threat. "S-show yourself!"

"MAIDEN THOROLUND!"

"Y-you..." Rhea said, lowering her talisman once she saw the Chosen Undead.

"Ah, thank goodness I found you!" the knight said. He noticed her disheveled appearance and the irregular position of her foot. "Y-you're hurt... What happened?"

"I... I slipped..." Rhea said, hiding her face in shame, "And I c-couldn't find a way out..."

"We've got to get you out of here," the Chosen Undead said. "But your injuries... Um... H-have you tried casting a healing miracle on yourself?"

"I... I can't..." Rhea admitted. "I'm n-not good enough yet..."

"Well, I can't just leave it like this. We've got to do something about the bleeding. C-could I borrow your talisman, please? I'm not that good at miracles yet, but it's better than nothing..."

"A-are you sure...?"

"Please, Maiden Thorolund. Trust me. I just want to help you."

With that, the young cleric decided to put her faith in the knight as she handed over her talisman. The boy took a deep breath as he prepared to cast the healing miracle. Thankfully, he managed to do it despite his inexperience, and soon the wounds began to close and the bruises started to lighten. Once those were taken care of, the Chosen Undead poured his remaining energy into fixing Rhea's broken ankle. The girl winced and bit her lip, but soon the pain started to go away. 

"There, that should do it for now," the Chosen Undead said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "How do you feel?"

"Much better now, thank you..." Rhea responded. "You... You're the boy who sits by the window two rows in front of me in class... Chosen Undead-kun, right? I'm sorry... You've gone to all this trouble to find me, and you've tended to my injuries as well... I really am useless."

"No, you're not," the knight shook his head. "It was just an accident. Now come on, let's find a way out of here and meet back up with the class."

Rhea nodded, and tried to stand up. Much to her dismay, she still couldn't walk properly. Without missing a beat, the Chosen Undead scooped her up in his arms and offered to carry her back. Rhea turned bright red like a tomato, embarrassed. Still, she accepted, tightly wrapping her arms around him to stay secure. She still found the situation a bit awkward, but hey, it was no use being stubborn and trying to walk when she clearly couldn't.

"So... How did you find me?" Rhea asked.

"Well, to be honest..." the Chosen Undead said sheepishly, "I slipped on a rock and fell, too. I was just lucky I didn't land that far away from where you were..."

"W-WHAT?!" Rhea said, "T-then how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Um, according to the map outside the entrance," the knight tried to remember, "There should be an emergency fog gate here that leads outside again. We'll have to keep going uphill, though. So, just hold on tight, OK? I'll get you out of here safely. I promise."

"O-OK..." Rhea nodded as she began to blush again.

And so the two kept going, determined to find that emergency fog gate and get out of the Tomb of the Giants as quickly as possible, and preferably in one piece. Every now and then Marcus had to duck and hide behind a boulder whenever he saw Bonewheel Skeletons "patrolling" the area. Those things were just nasty... The Skeleton Beasts he could get away from easily enough because they were slow and clumsy. The regular skeletons he could just ignore. But he knew Bonewheel Skeletons were just a huge pain in the ass and the young knight didn't want anything to do with them.

After another hour of walking, the two finally reached the boundary between the Tomb of the Giants and the Catacombs. Beyond the boundary was the fog gate they needed to get out. The Chosen Undead took a deep breath as he prepared for the final push. Once they had gotten through this, it would be sunny skies and fresh air once more!

Sure enough, not long after they had made their way back into the Catacombs, the two finally found the fog gate. Conveniently, there were even markers and signs around it that indicated it was indeed an exit and didn't lead into a boss fight. A boss fight was the last thing they needed right now...

"We made it!" the Chosen Undead let out a sigh of relief. "We're almost out of here, Maiden Thoro—"

_SSHHHNNNNNNG-SHHHNNNGG-SSHHHNNNNNNGGG..._

"Oh no..." the Chosen shuddered at the terrible, obnoxious sound.

Bonewheel Skeletons.

Of course, they just HAD to show up again when the exit was literally just ten feet away.

"W-what are we going to do?" Rhea said. "There are at least _six_ of them!"

"Maiden Thorolund," the Chosen Undead said as he took a deep breath. "Do you trust me?"

"H-huh?" Rhea asked.

"I have a plan on how to get out. Do you trust me, Maiden Thorolund?"

"Y-yes... W-what are you planning, Chosen Undead-kun?"

The Chosen Undead said nothing, but took a deep breath as he carefully observed the Bonewheel Skeletons' movement patterns and looks for an opening.

"HERE GOES NOTHING!!!"

"WHAT ARE YOU— KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

In a split second, Marcus began sprinting towards the fog gate as fast as he possibly could. The Bonewheel Skeletons, obnoxious unholy bastard scum of the earth that they were, chased him on instinct. Rhea could only hang on for dear life and pray to Allfather Lloyd that they make it through the fog gate in time before the skeletons got them...

Time seemed to stop when Rhea felt herself traversing the fog and crossing through to the other side. When she landed on the ground, the sight of blue skies, grass and trees was almost surreal after hours of darkness and funky-smelling rocks. Still, as overjoyed as she was to finally be outside again, Rhea realized something wasn't quite right. She looked around and was horrified at the realization that the Chosen Undead wasn't there! He must've been caught by the Bonewheel Skeletons!

"Oh no... Chosen Undead-kun!" Rhea cried out at the fog gate. "Please, answer me!"

After what seemed like an eternity, Rhea was relieved when the Chosen Undead finally made it through the fog gate himself. But her relief turned back into horror when she saw he was covered in blood and had a large metal spike lodged in his chest. The knight, seeing how terrified the young cleric was, gave her a smile and tried to reassure her.

"H-hey, it's OK..." the Chosen said, trying to hide the fact that he was in pain, "I'm Undead, remember? I can't die from something like this..."

"A-at least let me take care of your wounds..." Rhea said, holding back tears. 

Determined to repay the boy for the earlier favor, she raised her talisman and cast a healing miracle on him as she carefully pulled the metal spike out of his chest. The Chosen Undead winced and gritted his teeth, but tried his best not to show too much discomfort as Rhea treated his wounds. It took all of her effort to seal the hole in the knight's chest and stop the bleeding, but she managed to do it.

"Thanks," the Chosen Undead smiled.

"N-no, I should be the one thanking you," Rhea shook her head. "I wouldn't have gotten out of there if you hadn't found me. So... Thank you, Chosen Undead-kun."

For a while, the two just sat there, smiling and looking at each other. Rhea seemed to be lost in Marcus's blue eyes, while he couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked now that he could see her face up close. But it wasn't long before the two realized how awkward the situation was and immediately turned away from the other, blushing heavily.

"That reminds me..." the Chosen said as he brought out his phone, "I should call Griggs to let him know we're both OK. At least he'll do a better job at telling the teacher than Rickert..."

"Um, right..." Rhea nodded. "So, um... S-should we try and regroup with the class?"

"No, probably not a good idea," the Chosen shook his head. "They're likely much deeper down in the Tomb, and we don't wanna get lost again. We should just wait near the entrance. Ah... And I should get out of these bloody clothes, too. Glad I brought a spare shirt."

_Grrrrrrwwwwwwwggggrrrrrllll..._

"Ah!" Rhea shrieked, clutching her stomach in embarrassment.

"Um... Are you hungry, Maiden Thorolund?" the Chosen Undead asked.

"S-sorry... I guess I am a bit hungry..." Rhea said.

"I saw a ramen stall near the entrance," the knight said, "We can go get a bite to eat there."

"Um... 'Ramen'?" the cleric gave a confused look. "You mean the Dutch word for 'windows'?"

"Err, no. It's a kind of Japanese noodles in broth," the Chosen Undead chuckled. "Come on, I'll treat you. It's just that shop over there."

"You mean, that one? _Vigorous Vamos's 'Happy Ending' Massage?_ "

"Ack! No! The other shop! The one next to it!"

And so, as they waited for their classmates and teacher to get back, the Chosen Undead and Rhea of Thorolund fondly shared their meal together... the first of many more to come. 

...

The next day, things took a surprising turn for the Chosen Undead.

At first, it seemed like it was going to be a regular day at school. The young knight was surprised to see Rhea waiting for him by the door to their classroom, giving him a rather shy, but cute "Good morning". The boy politely returned the greeting, then sat down at his desk near the window. First period was History, and they would be discussing the Age of Grey... The Chosen Undead yawned. He was by no means a slacker in school, and in fact he had excellent grades in Swordsmanship, Sorcery, and even Miracles class, but he was just bored to death at the very thought of the Age of Grey... It was just a bunch of dragons ruling over their endless grey landscape of grey water and grey trees, after all... Or maybe he just didn't like the color grey in general. He wasn't quite sure.

As he yawned, the boy caught a gimpse of something from the corner of his eye. To his surprise, he found that Rhea wasn't paying attention in class, either. Instead, she was looking intently... _at him._ To make sure he wasn't imagining things, the Chosen Undead quickly glanced back and looked at her. Embarrassed at being caught, Rhea adjusted her glasses, lowered her hood and immediately hid her face behind a book, pretending to read instead. At first the knight wondered if someone had stuck a "Kick Me" sign on his back or something, but as far as he knew there wasn't anything weird going on. So he decided to shrug it off for the time being and continue to not listen to the lecture.

Come lunchtime, the Chosen Undead was onto Rhea. He had caught her looking at him in class no less than six times that day, and as he was about to go have lunch at the cafeteria, he could see Rhea was following just a few feet behind him. She even sat just a few tables away from him during lunch that day. Come to think of it, that was the first time he had actually seen Rhea have lunch at the cafeteria, since she usually disappeared and went off on her own somewhere. After class ended for the day, the knight stayed behind to clean up the classroom. And once again, he saw the young cleric standing outside the door, looking at him. By then, the Chosen Undead was sure that Rhea was following him around. And while he found it weird, he still thought it was kind of... cute.

"Is something wrong, Maiden Thorolund?" the Chosen Undead finally asked.

"N-no, there's nothing wrong," Rhea shook her head. "Um... I just wanted to ask... Why are you staying so late at school? And why are you cleaning the classroom? Isn't that the janitor's job?"

"Well..." the knight rubbed the back of his head, "It's kind of like a part-time job for me. I have to earn my own allowance. It's just a little something to help the family out."

"Oh, I see..." Rhea said. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have been nosy."

"Nah, it's fine," the Chosen said, "Uh... Mind if I ask you something, too? Maiden Thorolund... Why have you been following me around all day?"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!" Rhea squealed and blushed. She adjusted her glasses and lowered her hood again to hide her face. "F-f-f-following y-y-you around? W-why would I do that? Th-that's ridiculous! I just h-happened to r-run into you here and, and... It was that obvious, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... It kind of was..." the Chosen answered sheepishly.

"I'm sorry..." Rhea said, twiddling her fingers. "I... I guess I... I just wanted to know what you were like, Chosen Undead-kun..."

"You could've just asked if you wanted to hang out with me, you know," the knight chuckled. "I don't bite."

"Actually, I..." the young cleric said again, "I wanted to thank you... For yesterday. N-not just for saving me, but treating me to ramen, too. It was... very delicious."

"Oh, uh... You're welcome, then."

"Um... Do you... Do you by any chance need help cleaning up?"

"H-huh? No, it's fine. I can handle it on my own. But thanks for the offer—"

"No, I insist, Chosen Undead-kun. L-let me help you..."

Deciding not to refuse, the knight accepted the cleric's help. He could tell she wasn't very used to doing chores, judging by the way she held the broom and her complete inability to use a mop. Still, Marcus appreciated Rhea's help, and with the two of them working together, cleanup was finished in half the time. It was about 5pm and the sun was getting lower in the sky. It was only then that the Chosen Undead realized Rhea should've already gone home, since her bodyguards and driver usually picked her up as soon as class ended. It seemed it was only then that Rhea realized that as well, and within seconds she started freaking out.

"Kyaaaaaa!" Rhea said, holding her hands in her face. "I... I completely forgot! I... I'm supposed to get in the car right away, or else Petrus will drive off to the next destination and pick up my sisters instead! Today's Thursday... No no no, how could I forget?! I... I'm in so much trouble!"

"C-calm down, Maiden Thorolund!" the Chosen Undead. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"I'm sorry..." Rhea said, "It's just that, every Thursday my second eldest sister has ballet lessons and they end at 8pm... The studio is at the other end of the city, and... Petrus, Vince and Nico often stay there and wait for her to finish..."

"So... How will you get home?"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! _How unpleasant!!!_ "

"H-hey, it's OK! I'll accompany you back to your place. We can take the train."

"R-really? Y-you would do that for me?"

"Well... Yeah. I mean, I'm on my way home, too. And besides... We're friends, right?"

Rhea felt as if a rock just dropped into the pit of her stomach. She saw how the Chosen Undead was smiling sincerely at her, and once again she found herself turning bright red just looking at him.

"Friends..." she repeated.

"Yeah," the Chosen smiled. "And if you want, we can go get something to eat, too. It's getting late after all."

"Y-yes, please," Rhea smiled back. "I'd love to."

"Ah, and since it's Thursday, we can get a discount on chocolate ice cream at Undead Iceberg!" the Chosen Undead happily added.

That night, the two had a beef bowl dinner... another first for Rhea. After that, they each had a scoop of chocolate ice cream at Undead Iceberg, just as the young knight promised. It was another first for Rhea as well. The Chosen Undead learned that she was very restricted in terms of the food she ate, not because she had any allergies or anything... but because she had grown up being told that "her body is a temple" and she should only eat plain foods, fruits and vegetables. But Rhea promised she wouldn't tell her parents about eating out with the Chosen Undead. She didn't want to get herself and him in trouble, after all.

After eating, the two took the train home. Rhea lived in a manor in a more privileged, upscale neighborhood of course. The Chosen Undead, on the other hand, lived with his parents and older sister in a modest, traditional home which was located in a more wooded area close to the local shrine. The boy almost felt embarrassed to be there, standing outside the massive gates of the Thorolund Residence. And the butler who opened the gate nearly whacked him on the head with an Occult Club, assuming that he had somehow done something wrong once he saw him with Rhea. Thankfully Rhea stopped him just before the weapon made contact with the knight's head, and explained that he was a friend from school who accompanied her home.

"Thank you, Chosen Undead-kun," Rhea said as she entered her home. "Thank you so much. I mean it."

"It was no problem, Maiden Thorolund," the Chosen Undead smiled.

Rhea smiled back. "Well, goodnight. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Oh, and one more thing..."

"Yes?" the knight asked.

The maiden blushed. "Um... Please just call me 'Rhea' from now on."

...

Before long, the Chosen Undead and Rhea had become close friends and were inseparable. They were always around each other, ate out and went home together. Rhea considered Marcus her closest friend, and even trusted him enough to have him by her side when she had her eye surgery. Likewise, he felt the same and she was the only person besides his family who attended his official promotion to Elite Knight. The maiden couldn't have been prouder to see her best friend receive his iconic helm and armor.

Of course, being friends for so long, feelings were bound to change. Rhea was already smitten with the Chosen Undead from the start, and it didn't take long at all for the knight to realize he had strong feelings for the young cleric maiden as well. Still, despite their obvious attraction to each other, neither acted on their feelings. It had gotten to the point that even Marcus's older sister Anri would tease that he and Rhea would make a cute couple whenever she came over to study with him. Every time Anri said this, the two would blush simultaneously and claim that they were just friends... in perfect synchronization. That just added fuel to the fire.

By the time the two were in university, the Chosen Undead had begun working part-time for a knight named Solaire of Astora, who he eventually befriended. He soon found out Solaire was actually Rhea's older second cousin once-removed. Solaire immediately realized the attraction between the two and made it his personal mission to get them together... with various degrees of success. It was only after the incident at the Amagi Inn and Hotsprings that the Chosen Undead and Rhea FINALLY confessed their feelings for each other and sealed the deal... right after they had just helped defeat a humongous robot demon from the Abyss!

Now, the Chosen Undead and Rhea of Thorolund had been a couple for nearly a year and couldn't be happier. Rhea blushed when she pointed out that in less than a month, she and the Chosen Undead would share their first anniversary. The knight smiled, then joked that now the pressure was on him to come up with something amazing for the event. Rhea then reassured him that as long as the two of them were together, she was happy. She leaned in close and gave the Chosen Undead a tender kiss on the lips. He gladly reciprocated. It wasn't long before he had wrapped his arms around her and the kiss grew more passionate by the second. Marcus laid down on the bed, allowing Rhea to rest on top of him. She stroked his hair with one hand while the other ran up and down his chest as she continued to kiss him. The Chosen Undead ran his hands down her back and sides, eliciting a few adorable giggles. Several minutes passed before the two parted from one another, completely red and breathing heavily.

The Chosen Undead looked at Rhea, and he could only smile. She was so beautiful, he thought. She was so sweet, innocent, and kind. He had never met any other girl like her. Rhea was his angel, and he considered himself extremely lucky and honored to be her boyfriend. Without realizing it, the Chosen Undead found himself saying:

"I love you, Rhea."

"M-Marcus-kun?" Rhea said, surprised by his sudden declaration.

The Chosen Undead suddenly realized what he'd just said and sat up, embarrassed. It seemed Rhea was embarrassed as well, seeing how she kept looking at the floor, blushing heavily while she twiddled her fingers again. Even now, the two were still shy around each other... Some things never change...

"H-hey, um..." the Chosen Undead said nervously, looking at the time. "I think I should get changed and set up the couch. I'm not allowed inside your room past 9pm, right?"

"O-Oh, right..." Rhea said, suddenly remembering the conditions Vince and Nico set when they allowed the Chosen Undead to stay over.

... But tonight, Vince and Nico weren't here. Rhea then decided to take a leap of faith and ask Marcus something she had been wanting to ask him for a long time now.

"Um, actually..." Rhea began to say, albeit with much hesitation, "Vince and Nico are out of town and won't be back until Sunday afternoon, right? It's not that I'm s-scared or anything, b-but I... I would feel more comfortable with you here... We can sleep in my bed... So... Stay here with me? Please?"

"Rhea...?" was all the Chosen Undead could say, shocked at what the maiden was implying.

"Um, I mean..." Rhea was practically trembling, her face red as a tomato, "I-if you don't want to, it's fine... I'm not forcing you or anything..."

"N-no, it's fine," Marcus shook his head and smiled, then leaned in to give Rhea a gentle kiss. "I'd be happy to stay here with you."

"I'm glad to hear that..." Rhea smiled. "Oh, and Marcus-kun?"

"Hmm? What is it?" the Chosen Undead asked.

Rhea couldn't help but blush like a radioactive tomato again. Such was her natural state.

"I love you, too."


End file.
